The present invention relates generally to interactive television, and more particularly, to a system and method for selecting or modifying advertisements to display to a viewer.
The distribution of advertisement via television is well established. Advertisers typically purchase advertisement time on a specific channel and time period with the rate being set by the popularity of programs airing within the time period. The more popular the underlying program or time slot, the more expensive the advertising rate. With the increase in the number of network stations, advertisers are confronted with the task of determining which stations are appropriate for their products or services. It is also difficult for advertisers to select a type of advertisement that will appeal to a broad cross section of the population (e.g., males, females, young and old).
Commercials are often targeted based on the type of television shows a viewer watches. For example, an advertisement for tulips is preferably displayed to a viewer who watches gardening programs. Similarly, an advertiser on the Internet may track the web sites that a user visits and use this information to determine that the user is interested in gardening. A banner ad for tulips may then be displayed to the user. Internet advertisement companies often use a targeting technology that allows advertisers to target consumers through the use of profiling criteria developed based on users activity on the Internet. The decision as to which advertisement to display is made remotely (e.g., cable headend system or server). This requires that information about a user be transferred to a remote collection area, which can create privacy problems. A user may not want personal information collected on his television viewing or “surfing” habits and provided to advertisers or other service providers.
Furthermore, from a consumer's perspective, one of the most irritating aspects relating to advertising is the inability of the consumer to provide any control over the content of the advertisement information. The viewer can only watch what is presented and cannot switch between different advertisements as he can with programs or interact with the advertisement.
New technology makes skipping commercials even easier. Consumers today often skip commercials that they do not want to see. However, commercials pay for almost everything on commercial television. High-priced shows are paid for by the value that advertisers perceive in displaying their ads during the show. As commercials become less effective, more ad dollars are being devoted to product placement within the television shows. For example, advertisers pay high prices for an actor to use their product in a show. Ideally, advertisers want to deliver a message appropriate for each viewer. Advertisers are willing to pay higher costs for even better viewer focus than merely a group of people watching a specific show.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and system that can be used to target advertisements to specific viewers or create interest in the advertisement by allowing viewers to interact with the advertisement.